Moslem claim to Jerusalem – False

Moslem claim to Jerusalem - False

Moslem claim to Jerusalem - False

An article sent to me, written by Dr Manfred R. Lehmann, I
found to be of great interest and quote herewith, in part:

"The Moslem 'claim' to Jerusalem is based on what is
written in the Koran, which although Jerusalem is not mentioned even once,
nevertheless talks (in Sura 17 1) of the 'Furthest Mosque': 'Glory be unto
Allah who did take his servant for a journey at night from the Sacred Mosque to
the Furthest Mosque.' But is there any foundation to the Moslem argument that
this 'Furthest Mosque' (Al-Masujidi al-Aqtza) refers to what is today called
the Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem? The answer is, none whatsoever.

In the days of Mohammed, who died in 632 of the Common Era,
Jerusalem was a Christian city within the Byzantine Empire. Jerusalem was
captured by Khalif Omar only in 638, six years after Mohammed's death.
Throughout all this time there were only churches in Jerusalem, and a church
stood on the Temple Mount, called the Church of Saint Mary of Justinian, built
in the Byzantine architectural style.

The Aksa Mosque was built 20 years after the Dome of the
Rock, which was built in 691-692 by Khalif Abd El Malik. The name 'Omar Mosque'
is therefore false...

Therefore it is crystal clear that Mohammed could never have
had this mosque in mind when he compiled the Koran, since it did not exist for
another three generations after his death. Rather, as many scholars long ago
established, it is logical that Mohammed intended the mosque in Mecca as the 'Sacred
Mosque', and the mosque in Medina as the 'Furthest Mosque'. So much for
the Moslem claim based on Aksa Mosque.

With this understood, it is no wonder that Mohammed issued a
strict prohibition against facing Jerusalem in prayer, a practice that had been
tolerated only for some months in order to lure Jews to convert to Islam. When
that effort failed, Mohammed put an abrupt stop to it on February 12, 624.
Jerusalem simply never held any sanctity for the Moslems themselves, but only
for the Jews in their domain.

(Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann is a writer for the Algemeiner
Journal. Originally published in the Algemeiner Journal, August 19,
1994)."

A further item for your interest. Mr Bruce Cathie of Auckland
tells me that using navigational techniques, he has established that Mecca is
situated 666 minutes of are from the Dome of the Rock. 1 minute = 1 nautical
mile.